The news has it again that the Nigerian Senate has invited the IGP, Mohammed Adamu, on the killings and kidnappings in the country.
I think the NASS should simply leave the IGP alone to do his job. Previous invitations to the IGP and most others have served more to demonstrate the power of the NASS to summon anybody in Nigeria than yield solutions to problems. Problems whose solutions are often obvious, and the NASS members should know this. In fact, I thought they had realized this hence the reduced frequency of invitations to heads of MDAs and other government outfits in recent times.
Maybe we should find an effective way of also summoning the NASS members to explain to Nigerians what they have been doing. In my judgement, the NPF is more efficient than most government institutions in Nigeria in terms of carrying out their statutory function: fighting crime (especially when truly charged).
It is definitely more efficient than the NASS. In evaluating this view, you need to consider the fact that the NPF suffers gross shortages in terms of personnel number, making it a small police force manning a large country. Even the small police force suffers further shortages in terms of training, equipment, routine operations funding, remuneration and general welfare in addition to not being immune to political interference.
On the other hand, the NASS is overstaffed, over-remunerated, excessively luxurious welfare packages, lavishly maintained operating equipment and immune from unwelcome political interference. Remember to match all these with the fact that they are never in a hurry (unless their lives are under direct threat), do things at their own pace, go on numerous vacations, enjoy the luxuries of constituency projects and have the muscle to hold the heads of MDAs by the jugular via committees.
So, for all practical purposes they have no excuse not to give us the best. Do they? Some would ask: what do they produce at the end of the year? I am sure Nigeria will not grind to a halt if NASS is shut down for a whole year, in fact may even progress better.
On the other hand, imagine what it would be like if the NPF should suddenly varnish for 12 months. Yet every now and then the NASS summons the IGP to come and explain! Explain what? Increase police capacity, monitor it properly and the whole country will be fully policed. I am sure the NASS members know this. If they do, are the invitations merely for show?
